Dr. Perkins graduated from Brigham Young University in 1996 with a Bachelors Degree in Conservation Biology. He was then accepted to Case Western Reserve University School of Dentistry, one of the most prestigious dental schools in the country. The United States Air Force took notice of Dr. Perkins and awarded him a Health Professions Scholarship in 1998. After graduating in 2000, Dr. Perkins was accepted into the Air Forces Advanced Education in General Dentistry residency at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, OH. Throughout 2000 and 2001, he practiced under specialists from all areas of dentistry, including Endodontics, Periodontics, Orthodontics, Pediatric Dentistry, and Oral Surgery.

Upon completion of his post-doctoral education, Dr. Perkins served in the Active Duty Air Force at Beale Air Force Base in Northern California as the Base Preventive Dentistry Officer, where he won numerous awards, including Medical Group Company Grade Officer of the Quarter and Medical Operations Squadron Company Grade Officer of the Year. In 2003, he transferred to the Air Force Reserves at McChord Air Force Base in Washington, and returned to start private practice in his hometown of Vancouver, WA. In 2010, Dr. Perkins joined the Air National Guard, and is now the Base Dental Surgeon for the Portland Air National Guard Base, where he continues to proudly serve his country.

Dr. Perkins is continually completing training courses on the latest advances in dentistry so he and his staff can provide you the best dentistry has to offer, combined with the personalized service we all deserve. He is rapidly becoming known as one of Vancouver’s top dentists. He is also Director and CEO of Cascadia Dental Career Institute, Clark Counties first private vocational school for Dental Assistant Training. Now it its 5th year, Cascadia has become known as the place to go for quality vocational training, with dozens of successful graduates enjoying their career in Dentistry!

Dr. Perkins is happily married to his wife Sarah and celebrate their five wonderful children daily. Two of his great loves are the outdoors and teaching youth. His latest hobby is performing as the Lead Vocalist and backup guitar for a local band, Sonic Icebox. Most of all, he loves being a father and husband to his amazing family! He recognizes that he would not be where he is today without each one of them.

Everyone needs to see a dentist with some regularity. In this report, Dr. Blake Perkins of Dental Sleep Medicine in Vancouver, Washington explains how often patients should see their dentists and what can happen if they don’t.

Dr. Perkins says that studies are inconclusive as to the frequency with which teeth should be cleaned. General guidelines suggest cleaning every six months for people who are healthy. Patients with gum disease may need to have their teeth cleaned every three to four months. People with no cavities and no dental problems may be able to visit their dentists just once a year.

A professional hygiene visit will include several things: checking the gums, cleaning and scaling the teeth, and a check-up by a dentist for any signs of oral cancer or anything else that might be going wrong in the head or neck area. Dr. Perkins points out that the teeth are attached to a human body, so a thorough examination is an important part of the visit.

Proper tooth brushing is an important part of good dental health. Dr. Perkins says that the best way for to determine if you are brushing your teeth effectively is to skip the toothpaste and to brush your teeth for two minutes. Then feel around in your mouth with your tongue to see if you feel anything “rough or fuzzy.” If so, those are areas that you are missing when you brush. Then, do the brushing again using toothpaste.

Dr. Perkins explains that bad oral hygiene can cause many problems. The beginning problems usually appear as gingivitis, which is essentially redness and irritation of the gums. If the gingivitis is not dealt with properly, it can become periodontal disease, something that also affects the bone that holds the teeth in place. Failure to treat the disease can result in the loss of teeth.

Dr. Perkins points out that even patients with proper oral hygiene can develop cavities. Tooth decay and gum disease can occur even if a patient seems to be doing everything just right. That’s why it is important for patients to see their dentists regularly. For example, a small cavity found by a dentist can be treated quickly and easily. If a cavity is not promptly treated, it can grow into problem more difficult and expensive to treat.

J. Blake Perkins, DDS, is a graduate of Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine. He is the owner of Today's Family Dentistry of Vancouver, Washington, and he is an expert in the treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). He spoke with Sleep Better TV, providing online sleep breathing disorder video news content.Sleep Better TV is a featured network of Sequence Media Group.

Sometimes, a patient will be missing a tooth, or a tooth will need to be replaced. In this report, Dr. Blake Perkins of Dental Sleep Medicine in Vancouver, Washington discusses dental implants.

Dr. Perkins says that dental implants are man-made replacements for natural teeth. The idea of artificial teeth is not new. Dr. Perkins explains that attempts to replace teeth can be traced back as far as 4,000 BC in China. There are also specimens from Egypt dating back to 2,000 BC. In the Mayan era, artificial teeth were made from shells, and remains have been found where shell teeth are imbedded in the bone.

In modern times, the idea of dental implants began in the early 1900s and began in earnest in the 1950s when researchers discovered that titanium adhered very well to bone and was difficult to remove. Dr. Per-Ingvar Brånemark, a Swedish physician, came up with the idea to actually replace teeth.

Dental implants are very reliable. Dr. Perkins points out that, over a ten-year period, implants are reliable at a rate of 96%. The crown attached to the implant shares that reliability factor. This makes implants a good option to replace missing teeth.

The issue of getting an implant or not will depend on individual patients, their situations, and what they are willing to do. Dr. Perkins points out that implants are not a quick fix. Also, other factors may militate against the use of implants. People with diabetes or people who smoke are not good candidates. If a patient has several problem teeth, a bridge may be a better and more affordable option.

In every case, patients and their dentists need to have a conversation to decide what is the best option.

J. Blake Perkins, DDS, is a graduate of Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine. He is the owner of Today's Family Dentistry of Vancouver, Washington, and he is an expert in the treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). He spoke with Sleep Better TV, providing online sleep breathing disorder video news content.Sleep Better TV is a featured network of Sequence Media Group.

Mouth breathing is obviously not nature’s design for us. In this report, Dr. Blake Perkins of Dental Sleep Medicine in Vancouver, Washington explains why some people breathe through their mouths and what can be done about it.

Dr. Perkins points out that people are made to breathe through their nose or sometimes a combination of both nose and mouth. When people don’t breathe through their noses, it is probably because of a blockage—perhaps an allergy, perhaps some other physical blockage.

Dr. Perkins explains that, when we breathe through our noses, the air is filtered, but also moistened. If air is taken in through the mouth, none of that happens. The air inhaled in that way dries out the gums and teeth. Someone can develop a lot of bacterial plaque in this way “because the air is going through the wrong orifice.”

There are some treatment options for this problem. If a patient is breathing through the nose because of an obstruction, and ENT physician will need to get involved. If the patient has a physical obstruction, the answer is probably surgery. If the obstruction is the result of an allergy, medications are called for. If the problem relates to the shape of the mouth, an orthodontist can get involved to help change the shape of the mouth and the airway. This dental solution will help the patient to breathe better.

J. Blake Perkins, DDS, is a graduate of Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine. He is the owner of Today's Family Dentistry of Vancouver, Washington, and he is an expert in the treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). He spoke with Sleep Better TV, providing online sleep breathing disorder video news content.Sleep Better TV is a featured network of Sequence Media Group.

“Why did you become a dentist?” is probably a question that every dentist in the world has been asked more than once. In this report, Dr. Blake Perkins of Dental Sleep Medicine in Vancouver, Washington explains how he came to become a dentist himself.

Dr. Perkins says he was inspired to become a dentist by an uncle of his who was an optometrist. When he entered college, Dr. Perkins knew he wanted to work in a health care field, but he hadn’t decided which one. While he was a college student, Dr. Perkins got a job working for Clinical Research Associates, a company that did a lot of consumer research for dentists. Working with that company, Dr. Perkins fell in love with dentistry. Also, his interest in art fit together with his interest in dentistry.

As to what sets his practice apart, Dr. Perkins emphasizes that when a patient walks through the door to his office, he wants to treat that patient the way he would treat a member of his own family. He wants them to feel comfortable, to feel at home. Because dentistry is not always something that people look forward to, Dr. Perkins wants his patients to feel as though they’ve come home.

There have been big technological changes since Dr. Perkins became a dentist. For example, nowadays, crowns can be made in a single appointment. The laser has become important in dentistry. There have been many such changes over the years.

Dr. Perkins says that “quality without compromise” is his practice philosophy. It ties in with his approach of treating all patients as though they were family members.

J. Blake Perkins, DDS, is a graduate of Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine. He is the owner of Today's Family Dentistry of Vancouver, Washington, and he is an expert in the treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). He spoke with Sleep Better TV, providing online sleep breathing disorder video news content.Sleep Better TV is a featured network of Sequence Media Group.

There are consequences for people who ignore sleeping disorders like obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Dr. Blake Perkins of Dental Sleep Medicine in Vancouver, Washington discusses the subject in this report.

Dr. Perkins explains that, when a patient has an OSA event, the patient’s airway becomes blocked almost as if the patient were being choked. The body responds to this situation by releasing a variety of hormones into the bloodstream. In addition, the body’s nervous system responds to the situation. Dr. Perkins explains that the response is almost like what would happen if a car ahead of you in traffic suddenly slammed on its brakes.

The body thus has an exaggerated response to the situation. The heart rate increases, there is increased brain activity, and the patient more or less wakes up (sometimes, it is not a full awakening). And this sequence happens over and over throughout the night, resulting in a bad night’s sleep.

Failure to deal with OSA can lead to a number of health problems. The most important, probably, is high blood pressure. This is a result of the heart’s response by increasing its rate repeatedly during a night of sleep. Untreated OSA also carries with it the risk of diabetes. This occurs because the body is regularly releasing a lot of hormones at night in response to the OSA event.

Another common problem is depression. The failure, repeatedly, to get a quality night’s sleep can cause the body to have a depression response to the ongoing problem. This can have drastic effects on interpersonal relationships. Stroke is another health risk found more commonly in people with underlying and untreated sleep disorders. Another problem is obesity, which (interestingly enough) is also a risk factor for sleep apnea.

J. Blake Perkins, DDS, is a graduate of Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine. He is the owner of Today's Family Dentistry of Vancouver, Washington, and he is an expert in the treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). He spoke with Sleep Better TV, providing online sleep breathing disorder video news content.Sleep Better TV is a featured network of Sequence Media Group.